An elderly gentleman attracted a large crowd of seagulls quite literally to his hands as he offered them probably half the small lunch that sat next to him on his bench. These are only a few of the dozen or more seagulls who enjoyed their unexpected, but very welcome tasty treasure.

Normally, even cocky seagulls will be very wary of human contact, however, these particular birds were so accustomed to his presence that in some cases they would hover near his hand, gently taking from his fingers, small bits of the sandwich he offered.

This particular formation in the picture to the left was so wonderful that I had to share it here. They almost appear to be a time lapse photograph of a single bird coming in for a landing, and the detail of the wings is very interesting to study.

Though I realize that the local pier authorities likely did not appreciate the elderly man’s generosity toward the seagulls, it afforded me a fantastic opportunity for some truly unique photographs.

The level of trust depicted in this bottom right photograph is particularly striking. These seagulls must be quite accustomed to being shooed away or chased by children, but they trust this man so much that they very nearly touch his fingers in the process of accepting the food he offers.